Posted on 04/05/2017 8:26:28 AM PDT by GIdget2004
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told the Senate on Wednesday morning that he doesn't expect construction of a wall the full length of the U.S.-Mexico border -- marking the abandonment of a central campaign promise by President Donald Trump.
"It's unlikely that we will build wall or a physical barrier from sea to shining sea," Kelly testified to the Senate Homeland Security Committee. "We're not going to build a wall where it doesn't make sense. But we'll do something across the Southwest border."
That's a direct contradiction of Trump's vow of a "big, beautiful wall" the full 2,200-mile length of the Southwest border. Trump has not personally indicated a willingness to abandon that promise, a cornerstone of his appeal to voters.
There are about 650 miles of fencing along the border, mostly in urban areas of California and Texas. Kelly has been seeking input from Customs and Border Protection officers. A typical response, he told senators, is: "Boss, if you could give me 27 more miles here, 16 miles here, I don't really care about the other 140 miles I'm responsible for."
Such "strategic fencing," he said, would deflect drug and immigrant smugglers away from cities, making them easier to catch.
"The barriers work. Technology also works," he said.
Democrats on the panel welcomed the about-face but sought reassurance that Trump himself is on board, and willing to abandon a promise not only to build a full-length wall and -- implausibly -- to make Mexico pay for it. Security experts call a full-length barrier wasteful and unnecessary, given the terrain along the 2,200-mile border. Texas officials in both parties reject the idea. Mexican leaders call Trump's demands offensive.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
It would work along the Rio Grande as well ...
Trump never claimed it would be solid all the way across, and mentioned places with natural barriers many times in his speeches. They just make it up as they go along.
“the abandonment of a central campaign promise by President Donald Trump.” ... “That’s a direct contradiction of Trump’s vow of a “big, beautiful wall” the full 2,200-mile length of the Southwest border. Trump has not personally indicated a willingness to abandon that promise, a cornerstone of his appeal to voters.”
Not good. This was his signature issue.
“Kelly ... told senators, is: ‘Boss, if you could give me 27 more miles here, 16 miles here, I don’t really care about the other 140 miles I’m responsible for.’”
Well, if stopped by the 27 mile section, or the 16 mile section, it just might be the case they would figure out that they could get in over the 140 mile open section.
Build the wall as promised.
All the way to the Atlantic huh? Should we just put a giant wall around the south of Florida?
Mazes and minefields.
I think you mean from the Gulf to the Pacific.
We don’t need a wall around Florida or along the Canadian border... Our problem is with Mexico and South of Mexico...
Trump will make the call...
There is no point building a wall along the gulf coast
Precisely
Really? You want a wall where on the gulf coast
Not worried, FakeNews Dallas.
Isn’t this the same piece of crap paper that endorsed Hitlery, the first time it ever plugged a Demon Rat? And lost tons of subscribers?
“The barriers work. Technology also works,” he said.
...
It all works until crooked politicians tell border patrol to not do their jobs, and that’s the real reason we need a wall.
Big, beautiful, Fnnn, LIE...President Trump NEVER said he wanted all 2000 miles to be a solid wall, he knows that there are natural barriers and I watched almost every rally speech that candidate Trump gave.
Surprise, surprise, the reporter LIES.
Todd Gillman is a fake journalist. This pathetic little phrasing betrays the assumption that Trump supporters are illiterate and gullible. We don't buy the crap you're selling, Todd.
Wall, the whole way. Anything else is bull sh!t.
Worth repeating
That is idiotic. $20B is pocket change in a $3T/yr budget.
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